


Time Enough to Find Love

by Little_Inkstone



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M, Rumbelle Christmas in July, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-24
Updated: 2017-07-24
Packaged: 2018-12-06 13:50:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,439
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11601948
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Little_Inkstone/pseuds/Little_Inkstone
Summary: Hoping to find a way to save her friends and family from the ogres that are invading Belle makes a wish that sends her to a place where she didn’t expect to go, but one where she needed to be.  Written for the 2017 Rumbelle Christmas in July gift exchange.





	Time Enough to Find Love

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MarieQuiteContrarie (SeaStar1330)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SeaStar1330/gifts).



> This is a gift for the wonderful Mariequitecontrarie! Her prompt was: in time you will understand
> 
> Beta'd by Still-Searching47

Belle pressed her ear to the door of her father’s study, straining to hear what was being said between him and the man that held their fate in his hands.  Chewing her lower lip worriedly she heard the low rumble of her father’s voice, followed by a more eccentric and high pitched reply, unfortunately she couldn’t make out the words.  Closing her eyes Belle did her best to decipher what was being said; she could hear a few words,  _magic_ ,  _price_ ,  _deals_ , but nothing that told her if the powerful visitor would save them.

Finally she heard one sentence very clearly.

“No! Get out!”  Her father bellowed.

Jerking back from the door Belle felt her heart plummet.  Her father was a stubborn man, and had been even more so since her mother’s death.  If he had refused Rumplestiltskin’s deal then there would be no changing his mind.  She had worried that this might happen, the Dark One’s contracts where notoriously exacting.  Turning, she ran to her room.  Her father might not be willing change his mind, but it was still possible that she could save her people from the ogres.  After all, there had been two men in that room, and one of them might still be willing to change their mind.

Once she made it to her room she pulled out the book she had squirreled away.  Books had always been a comfort to her, and now one would provide the solution to her problem.  If things weren’t so grim she’d be immensely satisfied by that fact, but there would be time for that once everyone was safe.  Flipping open the marked page she took out the map that showed the best way to her last hope.  With more and more ogres prowling the woods and hunting along the roads it would be a dangerous journey, but blessedly short.  Licking her lips anxiously Belle scanned the map again.  She would have to leave the city walls but after that it would only be an hour’s walk to her destination; so long as she was quiet and lucky she could make her wish and be home before anyone was the wiser

Sneaking out of the castle was easy enough, before the war she had done it frequently just for a taste of freedom.  Now those days were gone and the castle walls meant safety and security, not confinement and lack of control over her destiny.  Still, that didn’t keep her heart from aching for a time when the worst part of sneaking outside was a scolding from her Mama if she were caught.  A heavy sadness weighed on Belle as she slipped past the guards.  Even if she managed to save everyone her mother would still be gone.  It hadn’t even been a month since the ogres had attacked the library her Mama loved so dearly, less than a month since it had become clear to Belle that there was no way to win the war the way they were fighting it.  She knew that no matter what happened next, her greatest regret would be not finding the story of the Wishing Well sooner.

Belle cleared her mind and kept her mind focused on the present. There was no changing the past, if she allowed herself to get wrapped up in it she could easily lose sight of the present and become an ogre’s meal.

The forest around her was serene as she traveled through the thick trunked trees.  Moonlight streamed through the branches and, in the distance, she could hear the soft coo of a bird and the chirping of insects among the bushes.  The quiet sounds calmed her nerves as she walked. If nothing else it meant that no ogres were near, the forest would be as quiet and as still as death if they were. Thankfully the walk to the enchanted well was on the whole uneventful, and by the time Belle had reached her destination she was beginning to feel more optimistic.  Surely the easy journey was a sign that everything would be alright.

Stopping in front of the Wishing Well, Belle leaned over the side, her hands pressed to the cool stone walls.  Her book had detailed many ways to make a wish and have it come true, but the most reliable way seemed to speak the wish while alone out loud, and from the heart.  If two or more people were present the wish needed to be silent.  Then an offering of gold was expected, usually in the form of a coin.  Taking a deep breath she looked down at the dark waters below.

“I-I’m wishing for a way to soften the Dark One’s heart so he’ll help us end the war.”  Belle called down into the well.  She held her breath as she waited to hear if her wish would be echoed back to her.

“ _I’m wishing for a way to soften the Dark One’s heart._ ”  Came the gentle reply.  It sounded like her voice, but different somehow, but Belle didn’t have time to ponder that, she was too busy letting out a sigh of relief.  Somehow, someway, her wish would be granted if she paid the price.

Unclasping her gold chain necklace, the only gold thing she had that was hers alone to give, and also one of the precious gifts her mother had given her, she held it in her palm.  Silently she asked her Mama to forgive her and to understand.  Her throat felt tight and she blinked rapidly as she left the necklace slip from her palm and fall into the water below. She heard it hit the water with a finality that made her heart clench in her chest, but she soothed the hurt with the knowledge that soon everyone would be safe. No little girl would ever have to worry about losing her parents, or fear being eaten by ogres, again.

For a few moments Belle waited, looking around the well and surrounding trees, she was unsure what to do now that the wish was made.  Should she return home?  How soon would she know if it had worked?  How would she know at all?  Just at the height of her worrying she heard a loud whooshing noise.  Her heart jumping in her chest she turned to see if an ogre had managed to sneak up on her, but. she couldn’t see anything in the woods around her.  She let out a shriek when she felt a cold spray of water hit her back.

Turning back around Belle found that the Wishing Well had turned into what seemed like a pillar of water.  She took a step back, her eyes wide as the geyser reached up into the sky. She was rooted to the spot, unable to move, Belle let out a panicked cry as the water began to fall.  Instead of falling straight down it fell like a collapsing tower and the next thing she knew she was bathed in a blast of freezing water.

The next thing she knew she was falling through the air, her stomach flipping as if she’d missed a step on a darkened staircase.  Around her colours melted together as moonlight turned to beams of sun and the bare trees of winter seemed to bloom into the bright green buds of late spring.  If she hadn’t been so terrified, and hadn’t been screaming so loudly, she might have been able to appreciate the beauty of the sight surrounding her.  As it was, she was too terrified to really notice that the world was changing around her.

Her unexpected fall came to a sudden and striking end as she felt her body collide with that of another person, knocking them both to the ground.  Belle let out a pained groan as she rolled off her unwitting cushion.  She wasn’t hurt the way she expected she would be, given how far she thought she had fallen.  Instead the only reason she was really in pain was because of the way she landed, and who she landed on.  Her thoughts were interrupted by the long string of curses the person she had landed on was using as they made their way to their feet.

She could tell, now that he was standing, that her cushion was a man in fine clothes who was probably only a few inches or so taller than her.  He brushed the dirt from his outfit, more muttered curses falling from his lips as she too stood.  Awkwardly Belle stood there, unsure what to do.  How did someone apologize for dropping out of the sky?  What was the etiquette for that?  Should she interrupt his muttered swears or wait until he was done? And more importantly than that, what had happened to her and what was she going to do?  Before proper panic could set in, the stranger she had landed on finally stopped his one-sided tirade and turned to her.

Belle felt her eyes widen as she came face to face with the Dark One.  She’d never seen him before, but her books did a good enough job of describing him. His eyes and hair were wild, his skin a glittering scaly texture that seemed to shift into different colours of green, gold, and even gray right before her eyes.  He was truly a sight to behold.

“And where did you come from, dearie.”  He asked menacingly, his eyes narrowed, as he pointed one clawed finger at her.

“I, ah…”  Belle didn’t know how to reply.  It seemed the well had sent her to where the Dark One was, but she wasn’t sure how to answer his question.  Did he want to know where she’d originally come from?  Or perhaps the direction she’d fallen?  He was an all-powerful wizard; surely he recognized a portal of some sort when it dropped people on him.  Lamely Belle pointed up.  “The sky I think, but that’s not where I started.”

He drew back from her, his eyes flicking up and down her personage. “What are you, some kind of witch?” He sniffed as if she were lower than dirt.

“No, I barely know anything about magic, the portal–”  She was cut off from saying more as he was suddenly far too close, his nose pressed to hers as his clawed hands flexed around her shoulders, it was clear he was holding himself back from grasping her harder.

“What  _portal_?” He hissed.

“T-the one that brought me here.”  Belle stuttered, taken aback by his sudden closeness.  “I made a wish so I could make a deal with you and the next thing I knew I was here.”

As quickly as he’d pressed against her, he was gone again. She watched him warily as he thought over her words.  Belle could all but see the wheels of his mind turning as he rubbed his thumb and forefinger together.

“A deal you say?”  He finally replied, much calmer and more in control then he had been before.

Belle let out a relieved sigh.  She’d heard stories of him turning people into snails and toads for far less then falling on him.  For a moment she had feared that would be her fate as well, but if he was willing to listen to her request then perhaps not all was lost and her wish was coming true as they spoke.

“Y-yes, my kingdom is under attack by an army of ogres and we’re unable to–”  He lifted his hand, cutting her off again and she closed her mouth but glared at him. She didn’t care how powerful he was, she was getting tired of him interrupting her.

“Impossible, dearie, I don’t know how long your little spell took you to get to me, but I ended the war with the ogres months ago.”  He said with a dismissive wave of his hand.

“M-months?  No! That can’t be possible, Avonlea was on the brink of collapse, my mother, s-she just died last month; you can’t have ended it.”  Belle looked at the ground as she puzzled this new information over.  She could feel panic beginning to rise in her chest as she tried to figure out where the well had sent her.

“Wait,”  He said, making her look up at him, noting the interested gleam in his eyes.  “Where is Avonlea?”

“It’s in the Marshlands, south of the capital city. H-have you never heard of it? We’re not large, but we’re not small either.”  Belle shook her head.  “Of course you must have heard of it, you were just in my father’s castle not even a day ago.  He wanted to make a deal but didn’t agree with your price.”

“Something’s not right here.”  He muttered, with a wave of his hand a plume of smoke engulfed his palm, and when it was gone a small globe was resting there.  “Point to where you’re from on the map.”

Belle did as he requested, walking over and turning the globe slowly.  It was filled with all sorts of strange names and squiggly lines making up borders that made no sense to her.  Still, there was something rather familiar about the layout.  Finally when she found her home land everything clicked.

“This map must be over three hundred years old!”  She said.  “This is where the Marshlands are, and this is Avonlea, before it was built, here’s the small town that will become the capital.”  Belle added, pointing to different places by the coast.

Rumplestiltskin frowned as he followed where she pointed.  “This globe is completely up to date; my magic keeps it more current then any map that could be found in the most skilled of cartographers workshop.”

Belle turned to face him, her eyes wide with shock.  He must be mistaken, or perhaps playing a cruel prank on her.  The Dark One was known for his dark heart after all; maybe this was his idea of a good laugh.  She bit her lower lip as he kept looking at the map, at any moment he’d let out a evil laugh and mock her gullibility, she just knew it.  When no mockery came and he kept his eyes trained on the globe she swallowed thickly.

“This can’t be possible.” She whispered.

“It’s not.” He replied. “The laws of magic forbid traveling through time.”  He turned to look at her, a spark of what seemed to almost be hunger brightening his eyes.  “How did you say you came to fall out of the sky?”

“I made a wish, at the Wishing Well near my home.”  Belle said, not sure she liked the look he was giving her.

“Very promising.”  He muttered to himself, looking back down at the globe as if it held all the answers to life’s greatest questions.  Before she could ask what he meant he turned back to her.  “I have a deal for you, dearie.”  He said slyly.  “Come back to my mansion, be my guest for a short amount of time, and then lead me to this well.  If you do all this and give me a strand of your hair, I’ll save your Marshlands.”

“You will?”  She asked, her eyes beginning to fill with happy tears.  His request was a small price to pay to save her people and something she could easily do.  If it came to it she’d give him every hair on her head and live with him forever if that’s what it took.  Belle took a step back and stopped her joy from overwhelming her.  She needed to be smart; the Dark One was known for his crafty deals.  “My friends, my family, they will all live?”  Belle asked.

“You have my word.”  He replied with a bow, the globe vanishing from his hand as he bowed.

“Then you have mine, I will go with you, and give you my hair.” She said with a nod of her own.

“Splendid.”  Rumplestiltskin said with a gleeful giggle, clapping his hands together.

Belle hadn’t known what to expect when she made her deal with Rumple. She had expected him to take her hair, ask her some questions, maybe host her for a night or two, and then demand to be taken to the Wishing Well.  The hungry look in his eyes when she spoke of a way to break the laws of magic seemed to imply that he wouldn’t want to wait.  After the first two days of living in his mansion, modest compared to her father’s castle, but grand compared to the cabins and huts in the nearby town, she had begun to grow antsy.

Everyday away was another day that her people had to suffer through.  They were hungry and scared while she was eating like the highborn lady she was, it wasn’t fair to them and it made her feel sick.  When she’d brought that fact up to her host he’d seemed honestly surprised she was worried about the common people.  He accused her of caring only for her lavish lifestyle and promising that he could change anything she wished so she could be more comfortable.  Belle had further surprised him by replying that she’d be happy in a dungeon with nothing but a crust of bread and water if it meant her people would be safe.

He’d taken her at her word and she’d spent the third night of her stay surrounded by cold damp stone on a hard wooden bench.  She hadn’t wanted to cry, but she’d had a tiring few days, a tiring few weeks to be exact.  Ever since her Mama had died, and even before then, and finally in the Dark One’s dungeon she could no longer keep her feelings in check.  Large hot tears dripped down her cheeks as she sobbed, allowing all the pain of the past year to wash over her.  She’d been trying so hard to be brave the way her mother would have wanted her to be.  Belle had hardly cried at all since her Mama’s death, it had felt as if something was blocking the tears from flowing, but now they were free.

It was then, at her lowest point, when she first glimpsed the Dark One’s kindness.  He tried to be gruff as he delivered her a pillow.  He growled that she was distracting him from his spinning and that he could get no work done; but in the end he’d stood awkwardly in her dungeon room as she clung to the pillow he’d conjured, one hand awkwardly outstretched as he patted her shoulder.  After that he returned her to her old room and explained that there was no reason for them to rush.  They had three hundred years before the ogre war she knew started, of that he was sure. He’d gone to the place she pointed to on the map and assured her it was a small but thriving township with nary a sign of trolls, let alone ogres.  She’d hugged him in thanks and he’d almost seemed dazed by her touch.

After that things were much less tense between the two of them. Occasionally, if a particularly strong emotion ruled him like anger, or – not that he would admit it – fear, Rumple’s magic could lash out, but it never hurt her.  She had learned to recognize when he needed space to fume or when he needed someone to silently sit beside him as he spun, and slowly over time his moods became much less mercurial.  Belle had always feared the idea of the Dark One but had been intrigued by the powerful figure at the same time.  Now she knew there was more to him than anyone had ever said or written down.

Belle hadn’t known it when they’d met, but now she knew that he was rather new at being the Dark One.  He wouldn’t speak of who he’d been before he’d taken on the curse, but just knowing he had been a man once changed the way she looked at him.  She could see it now, the man behind the mask; he was rather nervous and shy with a quick mind and sharp tongue that could easily speak words sharp enough to cut.  There was a softness to him too, a gentleness he tried as hard as he could to hide, but she could see it.  It was in the way he brought her books once he discovered she enjoyed reading, how he’d set aside a room that had quickly become her library, the way he smiled at something she’d said when he thought she wasn’t looking.  Belle had wished for a way to soften the Dark One’s heart, but she’d discovered that Rumple’s heart didn’t need softening; it just needed someone to see past the hard mask he wore to protect himself.

This became much clearer one night while Rumple worked with several potions as Belle read near him.  That night the characters on the page held no sway over her mind, instead she was distracted by her companion as he methodically mixed together several vials and added one of the many hairs she’d given him.  He’d joked before taking his latest prize that soon she’d be bald, but Belle had just laughed at his teasing.  Rumple had taken quite a few of her hairs, but nothing compared to what her imagination had conjured up when they’d made their deal all those months ago.

“Why do you want to break the laws of magic?”  She asked, setting her book aside to look at him fully. Rumple looked at her and raised an eyebrow at her words and she shrugged.  “I just mean, a man with all your power, it seems like something that wouldn’t be necessary.”

With deft and delicate hands he moved the vials around the table. “There’s something all my power can’t give me, something your Wishing Well might be able to bring back to me.”

“What’s that?”  Belle asked, tilting her head to the side.

“I think, in time, you’ll understand.”  Rumple replied cryptically.

Sensing it was best to change the subject Belle smiled.  “Is it the same reason you spin so much?”

He didn’t return her smile, his movements still slow and precise, she hadn’t seen him so mellow before; his manic energy was gone, replaced by a kind of weighty sadness.  “I like to watch the wheel, it helps me forget.”

“Forget what?”  Belle wondered softly, she didn’t expect an answer so she was relieved and a little saddened when he giggled in reply.

“I guess it worked.”  Rumple told her and she smiled and laughed, shaking her head.  The mood had shifted and they were back to their gentle teasing and banter.

That wasn’t the end to those quiet moments of honesty between them. Over the next few months they shared more of themselves and slowly Belle began to realize she was falling in love. There was no grand moment of realization for her when it became clear how she felt for Rumple, it wasn’t as if he’d plucked the moon from the sky or slain a dragon for her.  Instead, he’d brought her a rose as well as a book when he’d returned from his latest deal.  She’d come with him on a few and seen more of the world in the past then she ever had in her present, but this day she’d chosen to stay home.  While she trimmed the roses stem Rumple asked her more about her life and she was happy to tell him of the good times before the war. Once she was done with the rose she sat on the table and turned to smile at him as he sat in the head chair.  No words passed between them for a long moment and in that quiet room, scented with a fresh rose, in-between two heart beats, Belle realized she was in love.

It was a bit of a shock, but also felt painfully obvious now that she was aware of her feelings.  Of course she was in love with him.  Had she ever not been?  That was a silly question.  She hadn’t known him for most of her life, but still loving Rumplestiltskin felt as easy as breathing.

Belle wanted to tell him, she wanted to tell anyone that would listen, but she also didn’t want to scare him away.  If nothing else she’d learned that Rumple was skittish and blurting out her feelings when they were still so new for her seemed like a mistake that could ruin everything.  So instead she smiled and ducked her head to hide her blush.

“Really, staying here has felt like a nice holiday.”  She told him, picking up where she’d dropped their conversation.

He blinked several times, as if he was waking from a dream, and she frowned when his face became pensive.  “But all holidays must end, mustn’t they?  Or else they’re not really holidays at all.”  Before she could ask what he meant he stood.  “I think it’s time you took me to your Wishing Well.”

“W-wait, now?  But, will we ever see each other again?”  She asked him worriedly as she stood from the table to follow him as he began to walk towards the doorway.

He stopped, and stayed turned away from her.  “Oh no, I don’t expect we’ll see each other ever again.”

Belle didn’t know how to reply.  What  _could_  she say?  She followed him and took the arm he offered her.  They were quiet as they walked out of his mansion and were whisked away by his magic.  Belle’s heart felt heavy as she led the way to the place where the Wishing Well was, it had taken her a moment to get her bearings once they appeared, since everything looked so different, but with the help of the position of the sun and Rumple’s magic they were soon on their way.  Eventually they came to the clearing, the Ancient Well where it was in her present three hundred years from now.

In a way Belle was both relieved and resentful it was there.  She wanted more time with Rumple, but she also knew that was selfish of her.  This Well might let Rumple do whatever it was he was trying to do.  She thought it might have something to do with the children’s clothes she’d found one day but never had the chance to ask about.  It was also her only way home, she’d been so busy relaxing and falling in love she’d forgotten how truly pressing it was that she returned home.  Time may not be moving in her present while she was in the past, but still, every moment she spent not doing anything was a moment wasted that could have been used to fix everything.

“You’re going to need some gold.”  She told him, breaking the heavy silence.

“You’ve said so before but that’s easy enough for me to come by.” Rumple replied, pulling a spool of gold from thin air to accentuate his point.

Belle couldn’t help but smile sadly at his antics.  “If only it was that easy for everyone.”  She said.

Rumple’s smile fell.  “Ah, yes, your mother’s necklace, I’m sorry that was the price of this magic.”

“If it saves my people then it will be worth the price.”  Belle replied with a more genuine smile.

Smiling softly in return Rumple joined her beside the Well. He closed his eyes and held out the golden thread, silently making his wish.  Belle watched him, again wondering what he could want that his magic couldn’t give him.  She’d come across the three laws of magic before in her reading.  You couldn’t make anyone love you, you couldn’t bring back the dead, and you couldn’t travel through time.  All of those laws pointed to losing someone and not being able to get them back, it made Belle wish she could have asked him about the clothes. Had he had a son?  A family?  How had he lost them?

“It’s as I feared.”  Rumple sighed, pulling her from her thoughts as she watched the rope of gold fall into the water.  “This cannot take me to my boy.”

“You’re boy?  Do you mean you had a son?  Is that who the clothes belonged to?”  Belle questioned, the words spilling from her lips before she could stop them.

“Yes, I had a son, I lost him.”  He whispered.

Reaching out, Belle rested her hand on his.  “I’m sorry.”  She whispered, silently cursing her unyielding curiosity.

“Just as your Papa and people have lost you.”  Rumple continued, almost as if he hadn’t heard her.  “You fell down a portal to a strange land, and even if no time has truly passed they’ve lost precious moments with you.”

Belle didn’t know what to say.  His words rang true, and too closely echoed her own thoughts from before. It was time she went home.

“Rumple…”  She began, but instead a strange voice cut her off.

“ _I’m wishing for the one I love to return to those that love them._ ”

It was the Well, Belle realized too late.  It was answering Rumple’s silent wish, but instead of producing his lost son, another geyser shot up from it, spraying them with cold water.  She turned to look at him as the pillar continued to stretch up towards the sky, turning and twisting as it did so.  It was going to take her away just as it did before, Rumple had asked for the Well to return the ones he loved to those that loved them.  With no lost son appearing from the magical fountain, it was clear what that meant. She turned to him before the tower began to collapse and pulled him close, pressing her lips to his in a kiss that meant the world to her, but was far too brief.  Her whole body felt warm as if she were being enveloped in a warm blanket on a chilly day, she felt as if her soul was filling with sunlight and as if she could walk on air.

Pulling back she smiled at the stunned man before her, noting that his lips began to pinken and change to the normal colour of a mans.

“Why?”  Rumple asked her over the sound of rushing water a smile pulling at the curve of his mouth.

“In time I think you’ll understand!”  Belle yelled back, her voice almost drowned out by the crashing wave as it swamped her.

When Belle’s journey through time ended she had the good fortune to not land on anyone this time.  Instead she flopped onto her bed in the castle that had been her home her whole life. She took a moment to catch her breath, her cheeks heating with embarrassment at her daring and pleasure that she’d been so bold.  Shaking away the thought she got up, there were things she needed to do, and a certain wizard she needed to call for aid, he had a deal to uphold and he was well known for never breaking them.

She didn’t get to call for Rumple as soon as she had planned; instead the world outside her bedroom was different to the one she had known before. As far as she could tell all of the changes were ones that made it better.  Belle had broken down crying when a scouting patrol had found an abandoned ogre camp with several human prisoners still alive, one of which was her mother. Her Mama had clung to her and her husband for the better part of two days, and Belle was sure she’d never seen her father’s hands shake the way they did when he embraced his long lost wife. The personal miracle of getting her mother back was followed by news that the ogres had begun to retreat and Belle knew it was thanks to her Rumple.

All of her suspicions were confirmed on the third morning she was home when she found her gold necklace on the pillow beside her and a note written in Rumple’s scrawling handwriting.  Smiling so hard her cheeks were beginning to hurt she held the note close to her heart and fastened the beloved piece of jewellery around her neck. She read the note more times than she could count, and once she was done she quickly dressed in a simple blue dress and made ready to call for Rumplestiltskin.  Their deal might be over and their time in the past might be done, but that just meant they could begin a whole new journey into the future together.

There was no time like the present for their happy beginning to start.


End file.
